"Thirty is coming. So is the question they never answered. One promise. One year. One chance to choose." At twenty-two, it was supposed to be a joke. A half-laugh, a careless promise made on an ordinary night: If we're still single at thirty, we'll try. No rules. No pressure. No expectations. They never spoke of it again. Seven years later, Pond and Phuwin are adults in every way that matters-steady jobs, separate lives, carefully built routines. They are still best friends. Still each other's constant. Still the first person the other thinks of, even when they pretend not to. When circumstances force them back into the same space, old familiarity turns dangerous. Shared mornings feel too intimate. Soft touches linger too long. Conversations circle around everything they refuse to name. And somewhere between now and thirty, the promise resurfaces-not as a joke, but as a question neither of them knows how to answer. Because this isn't about falling in love. It's about admitting they already did-and deciding whether they're brave enough to risk the one thing they've never lost. Set in the quiet tension of adulthood, Somewhere Before Forever is a slow-burn friends-to-lovers story about timing, restraint, and the kind of love that waits patiently... until it can't anymore.

Atrament (n): the ink of desire - dark, unerasable, and written on the soul. Phuwin Tangsakyuen is a model-fierce, untouchable, and independent. Pond Naravit is a mafia heir - obsessed. Ruthless and manipulative. When obsession becomes a hunt, can the untouchable survive-or will desire leave its permanent mark? ✨ Pond x Phuwin AU 🐻🐼🚩

Pond X Phuwin Warning: An age-gap, dark romance exploring the twisted bond between art, control, and captivity.Stockholm Syndrome!! "Do you think I liked you just because you're good at drawing?" Pond whispers, his hand wrapped around his throat. "No. You were broken. And I... I saw in you everything I hated about myself. And that's why I want you now-only for me. Draw for me. Live for me. Breathe only for me."

--- 🌸 "Never imagined... a bond written on paper would find its way to the heart." 🌸 Pond - a cold, successful businessman, whose life was caged within deals and decisions. Phuwin - an innocent dreamer, lost in his own little world... now trapped in a bond he never chose. 👑 An arranged marriage between them... A helpless obligation... or destiny written long ago? But when secrets of the heart turn into untamed emotions... When hatred hides the silent screams of love... Will Pond be able to break down the walls around his heart? Will Phuwin remain just a responsibility... or become his everything? ✨ A story that holds pain... passion... and a bond that's not just in name, but in soul.

PondPhuwin | Dark Romance | Slowburn | Arranged Marriage | Black Flag × Black Flag | Obsession | Angst | 18+* In the glittering cage of Bangkok's elite, two heirs are forced into a marriage neither wants. Pond Naravit Lertratkosum - cold, calculating, the untouchable heir to an empire built on ruthless deals. He doesn't do love. He does control. Phuwin Tangsakyuen - sharp, unyielding, the quiet storm hiding behind perfect smiles. He doesn't beg. He breaks things that stand in his way. Their families merge fortunes to crush rivals and silence whispers of scandal. A contract is signed. A wedding is staged. And the rules are simple: - Keep up appearances. - Don't touch unless cameras are watching. - Never let it get personal. But rules shatter when obsession creeps in. Pond installs trackers "for security" and watches Phuwin's every move like a predator. Phuwin hacks the feeds and sends back proof he sees everything - including Pond's late-night secrets. Jealousy becomes a weapon: one brings home strangers to prove indifference, the other flirts in public just to watch the mask crack. They sabotage each other in boardrooms and bedrooms. Fake threats. Stolen sketches. Hidden photos. Bloody "rescues" that feel too real. Every fight ends with hands too close, breaths too shared, and words that cut deeper than knives. "I hate you," one whispers in the rain. "Good," the other replies. "Hate me harder." This isn't a love story. It's a war where surrender feels like victory, and possession is the only mercy they allow. Slow. Painful. Addictive. They won't back down. They'll burn each other first. **Warnings** ⚠️ - Extreme angst & emotional manipulation - Possessive/obsessive behavior (mutual) - Dark themes: psychological games, violence (not between mains), power imbalance - Intense smut (rough, consensual, delayed payoff) - Black-flag leads (no soft redemption arc) - 18+ only | Read at your own risk

🎶 "He stole his breath with a song... and his heart with a smile." When destiny keeps bringing them together-at the pub, in the boardroom, and at home- can Pond resist, or will Phuwin become the Perfect Partner for Pond? 💍✨

"He... he isn't what you all say. He isn't what I imagined. He's beyond everything. An ocean holding mysteries in its depths." His lips curved into a shaky smile. "And I... I want to dive into that mystery. For me, he is my mermaid."

I hold your name and not your love. My heart answers only to you, though its rhythm lives far from your touch. In the eyes of the world I am yours - in your eyes I am unwanted, your husband in name only.

He was sent to destroy a criminal empire, not to fall in love within it. An undercover agent takes on a mission that demands more than courage - it demands a fake marriage to the naive, kind-hearted son of one of the country's most dangerous men. The goal is clear: gain trust, collect proof, and bring justice to light. But behind every fake smile and rehearsed touch, a dangerous truth brews. The son's innocence disarms him, his warmth melts the walls the agent swore to protect. What began as deception turns into something heartbreakingly real. When the final choice arrives - between duty and love - which vow will he keep? 🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷

"Loving him was never a choice-it was my breath."